Residents say area where officer was slain plagued by crime

People in the area of the Walgreens where a 23-year-old rookie police officer was slain said yesterday the neighborhood is plagued by crime, but expressed surprise that a cop had been killed.

“There’s a lot of crime going on over here,” said a 57-year-old resident who has lived near Communipaw Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, the location of the Walgreens, for more than a decade. “This is one of the worst areas.”

Several hours after Officer Melvin Santiago had been murdered, Jennifer Scatina and a friend stood across the street from the Walgreens and watched as law enforcement officials worked the crime scene.

The two locals said the area has a reputation for petty crimes, but not shootings.

“It’s a sad day,” said the friend, a 45-year-old man who has lived in the area his entire life. “It’s senseless.”

A Newark woman who was on her way to a church a block from the Walgreens said the shooting death of a police officer made her “nervous.”

“I hope the city does do something about all these shootings,” she said.